Relevant Parts

Your iPhone 4 rear cover may have either two #000 Phillips screws or Apple's 5-Point "Pentalobe" screws (second image). Check which screws you have, and ensure you also have the correct screwdriver in order to remove them.

Remove the two 3.6 mm Pentalobe or Phillips #000 screws next to the dock connector.

During reassembly, we recommend you replace the 5-point screws with equivalent Phillips screws. Our Liberation Kit provides the tools and screws needed to replace the Pentalobe screws with Phillips screws.

The 5-Point Screwdriver should only be used once, as it has the potential to strip the screws.

Use the clear plastic pull tab to gently lift the battery out of the iPhone.

Do not remove the plastic tab from the iPhone.

You may need to use a plastic opening tool to loosen the adhesive under the battery.

Remove the contact clip from the iPhone.

Before reconnecting the battery connector, be sure the contact clip (shown in red) is properly positioned next to the battery connector.

Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the pressure contact as well as its contact point on the rear panel with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.

Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the dock connector cable cover with a de-greaser such as windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.

Remove the following five screws securing the Wi-Fi antenna to the logic board:

One 2.3 mm Phillips

Two 1.6 mm Phillips

One 1.4 mm Phillips

One 4.8 mm Phillips

When re-assembling, start off with replacing the 4.8 mm Philips screw first, then the 2.3 mm. This is to ensure there is no mix-up, and avoid rendering the LCD and digitizer useless.

Also make sure to put the long 4.8 mm Philips back in correctly when reassembling. This is the ground for the Wi-Fi antenna and is often the culprit if you are having bad Wi-Fi reception after reassembly.

Use an iPod opening tool to slightly lift the top edge of the Wi-Fi antenna away from the logic board.

Use the tip of a spudger to pull the Wi-Fi retaining clips away from the inner frame.

Remove the Wi-Fi antenna from the iPhone. Make sure you don't lose the metal clips on the top of the cover where the 4.8mm screw attaches or the 4.8mm screw. That's the primary reason for abnormal Wi-Fi performance after the reassembly.

Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points on the connector cover with a de-greaser such as Windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues. Do not clean the connectors themselves with Windex.

Use a small flathead screwdriver to remove the 4.8 mm standoff near the headphone jack.

When reassembling the device, this standoff sets the height of the Wi-Fi shield removed in step 13. If not torqued down, the shield will be above the plane of the frame and the back will not slide into place in step 2. The shield should be flush with the headphone jack.

When reassembling the motherboard, ensure that its edge sits under the circled standoff, otherwise the screws will not fit.

When reassembling ensure that the small rubber spacer attached to the top of the motherboard is in place. Without this part the motherboard could damage the ribbon cables around it.

Before re-fastening the speaker enclosure to the inner frame, be sure the four small EMI fingers rest below the lip of the LCD frame.

Before reassembly, be sure to clean all metal-to-metal contact points between the EMI fingers and the internal frame as well as the brass screw mounting point with a de-greaser such as Windex. The oils on your fingers have the potential to cause wireless interference issues.

Slowly and gently lift the top edge of the front panel assembly away from the steel inner frame.

Continue to rotate the front panel assembly away from the steel inner frame until it slowly begins to peel off the adhesive applied below the home button area.

It may be easiest to insert a spudger at the top and work it around the edges, spreading gently as you go.

Carefully pull the lower edge of the front panel assembly away from the steel inner frame.

Be careful, if the home button sticks to the front panel you may tear the home button cable.

Do not flip the front glass completely away from the frame. Doing so may result In damage to the digitizer cable.

If the glass is cracked (which it probably is since you're replacing it) removing the panel is likely to cause it to bend, kicking off small shards of glass. Before you do this step, cover the front with clear tape, then perform the actual removal over a trash can. Protective eyewear would also be prudent.

De-route the digitizer and LCD cables through the steel inner frame, and remove the display from the iPhone.

When reinstalling the display, carefully straighten the digitizer and LCD data cables, and feed them through the slot cut in the steel frame. This photo shows the display assembly being installed incorrectly, with a fold in the digitizer cable.

When the front panel has been correctly installed, both the LCD and digitizer cables should be immediately next to one another and should be the same length, as shown in the second photo.

If the digitizer cable has not been installed incorrectly, it will not reach its socket on the logic board. Do not attempt to pull it through by force, or it will tear. Remove the display assembly, straighten the cable, and feed it through to its full length, as shown.

During reassembly, do not touch the metallic area at the base of the LCD data cable, as this can cause problems with the LCD. If you do touch it accidentally, clean it gently with an alcohol wipe before continuing.

Use a pair of tweezers to pull the home button ribbon cable out of its socket.

Do not excessively strain the home button ribbon cable, as it is very thin and delicate. Also, be careful with the two small electronic parts on the ribbon cable. It is very easy to damage them with tweezers.

Utter and complete failure. Followed the directions to a 'T' to replace my home button. Home button works now. Digitizer and screen now only work periodically. Degreased the connections with windex and it only made it worse.

iFixit is to commended for this very detailed guide, but you may not need to go through this 30+ step process. Before ripping up your phone, try this simple no-risk fix. It seems to have fixed my button. Maybe it won't last, but it might get me through my contract.

To make sure all the small screws goes in the same places they were from the beginning I printed out this guide and taped them to the paper one by one as I went along. Just tape them to the corresponding places in the pictures and you can't go wrong.

Like the author says, if one screw goes in the wrong place it could brake something. (I learned this the hard way on a netbook)

Used this guide to replace a home button on my iPhone 4 which stopped working after the iPhone was out in the rain for 30 minutes. Worked like a charm. It was very hard but I took my time. Unfortunately, it didn't fix my problem. Upon further research, the dock connector was the culprit. It is where the home button plugs into. Replaced that using a guide here and now everything works great. So if your home button doesn't work after replacing the physical button, try replacing the dock connector.

Great guide. Follow to the letter and you'll be home free. Let me emphasize even further that the ribbon component of the home button is VERY fragile. Although my profile says I realised the procedure successfully, I damaged the replacement part at the crucial moment. Very frustrating to say the least. So be EXTREMELY careful when manipulating the home button. :)

Before you replace your home button, try searching on youtube on how to fix it with rubbing alcohol. I was about to order these parts and then stumbled on how to clean it with alcohol, which after doing several times (like 8) my home button has not misfired since.

OK, that was REALLY tricky. I had to back track twice to fix some of my mistakes. I didn't seat the camera properly and was unable to close the back of the phone. That wasn't too bad to fix. I had also folded a cable from the lcd to the logic board making it too short to reach, I had to step back many steps to resolve that. I also broke one of the 4 plastic clips on the front of the lcd that hold it in the frame. I hope you all have better luck. It was a tricky one but I'm happy with the results and this guide was very helpful and invaluable to completing this home button repair. Thanks ifixit!

Just completed this last night in about an hour, directions were perfect!!! If you try this just make sure you have the right tools, the blue plastic shim tool is key. Having a nice screwdriver set that is magnetic was very helpful as well. Take your time and you should be fine. My home button works like a champ now! :-)

I just completed this and now the LCD screen does not work. Any ideas what could have happened? Is it possible that I damaged the LCD/digitizer? The unit powers up, vibrates, and I can even hear it receive emails. LOL, help!

I followed the directions explicitly and found them to be extremely accurate, however, getting the screen out was ridiculously difficult due to the adhesive as compared to how easy the video makes it seem.

I ended up having to use a spudger and push from inside of the phone behind where the rear facing camera would go.

My original home button had to be pressed extremely hard in order to function so I installed a new one thinking that it was the problem. While replacing the button I noticed that the moisture indicator on the dock connector was pink, indicating that moisture had been inside the phone near the dock connector.

After replacing the home button however, there was no functionality at all. I thought that maybe the dock connector was to blame so I installed a new one. Still no home button functionality. I then reinstalled the original home button but kept the new dock connector and limited functionality returned (having to press extremely hard). What do you all think is goin' on?

Wonderful! Had a very desensitized home button. If you have any technical know-how, this guide is spot on. Followed every step, wore gloves to prevent oils, works wonderfully now. Everything seems more responsive. Thanks!

Okay that took some time but got there after an hour and a half. Bit I found most difficult was reconnecting the ribbon from the actual new home button - I was trying to feed the ribbon under the clamp arm thingy itself rather than into the front of the assembly - dough. Once I realised that it all went smoothly...

Just fixed my old iPhone using this guide, have also used ifixit guides for macs in the past and they are always infinitely helpful, there were a few tricky bits and it took longer than expected but well worth it. Great guide, thanks a lot ifixit!

This was scaring me for weeks before I took the plunge. Took about 2.5 hours. The guide is excellent, but yes this is a very fiddly job and the display was very difficult for me to remove, I broke a couple of the ipod opening tools but now its back together and works perfectly.

Done! Boy, it took me 1.5 but done. Anyway don't forget guys it's quality that counts so don't hurry up, take your time & get light (lots of light above you). Get a coke and it will work it. I reassembled everything, turned it on and home button working yeah. Ouch, my screen was no more sensitive. I killed the digitizer cable. Lucky me I had another broken iPhone which i took the LCD and put it on my phone. (about 1.5 again to reassemble everything back)

Fantastic, slow and steady. The only thing I would suggest is be extra careful at step 28 feeding the ribbon cables back through. they can get stuck easily and if you dont notice they can get pinched and break.

This is a great guide, thanks. Although this repair is not for the faint of heart (or unsteady of hand), with some perseverance, I was able to complete it successfully. My only suggestion is that you include some kind of warning that the home button ribbon cable retainer tab is _very_ fragile. It's also not completely clear from the pictures how the ribbon cable is affixed to the connector (the tongue of the ribbon cable slides under the connector). A tighter close up of the entire assembly, or perhaps an animated gif illustrating that part might be helpful.

The assemble steps are not included in this guide. I've done all the steps shows above smoothly, but when I tried to reassemble my iphone4, as I did not see the correct way of install it back, the touch sensor cable were broken, I have to bought another brandnew screen for my phone! And, there's quite a few tiny rubber parts in the phone, I just can't find any description about them, one of them were dropped out on my work table, I can't find the right place to put it back... hope there could be some hints for the assembling steps, especially for those tiny parts and cables need to be take care of...

Tried it, twice. When I plug the phone in mac usb port, I get a message saying that the usb port was trying to use too much power. And also, the phone is warmer than usual and battery is emptying very fast. I get the same message even without the battery pluged in.

Just replaced the back panel, installed home button mechanism and new battery - all went just as planned except...

I beheaded the battery connector screw! It all works at the moment. SO nice having the home button working properly again.

I also trapped the rear cable under the screen - I used a flathead screwdriver to push the fold through the slot. And the replacement back panel is not to Apple's original standards, but clean and clear none the less.

Spent 4 hours trying to repair the home button of my iPhone according to these guidelines, got stuck at step 21 (didn't want to get out). Put everything back together carefully, which took me again a while ... result: goodbye iPhone. Doesn't work anymore, at all. Great.

Everything went well. Took me 3hours to tear it apart and back together. the only issue im having is that sometimes my screen won't turn on even thought the phone is on and im receiving text msg and calls. So each time i have to restart my phone by pressing the switch off and menu button(im glad i change it or else i wont be able to restart) anyone knows why this is happening? Some help please

i have an iphone 4s with broken screen for a year and in pretty bad shape, now my friend gave me an iphone 4s which is in good condition but its network lock and it is locked. my question is if i put my iphone logic board on my friend iphone, will it work with my old iphone network.

i have an old iphone4s with broken screen and in bad shape but still working condition. my friend gave an iphone 4s which is in good shape but its network lock and cant be used. my question is if i put my logic board on my friend iphone, will it work with my network or will it still be locked and cant be use. thanks in advance..

Before you take your whole iphone apart you should check if your button works again if you clean it with rubbing alcohol/isopropyl alcohol (70%). I did it according to this video http://youtu.be/zNwr_mxgs9Q and it turns out that was all that was needed. My button actually works fine again! :) Maybe it'll work for you too so try this first.

Excellent guide especially along with the video. I have an old iphone 4 that i wanted to use as an ipod touch. I replaced the home button and the battery and ta da. Free ipod touch. Took a little more than an hour but that was my fault (crimped ribbon cable). I will be back if i decide to replace the slightly damaged screen that is under a screen protector. Thanks

I failed. This is extremely difficult. My iPhone 4 is stuck making a "bong" and vibration noise now when connected to a wall outlet or computer. I do not know what this means but based on my reading it has something to do with the power flex cable. I don't know how I broke it; I used gloves and didn't yank on anything. I think the cables are extremely fragile and are easily broken especially if they're old.

I would not recommend doing this (provided you aren't a professional) unless it's a spare phone that you're trying to fix for fun.

Completed it twice since broke the ifixit part while inserting the cable the first time. Had to tear down and do again. Whoops.

It would be ideal if this guide followed similar steps in the same order as other guides (like replacing dock connector) that one might be following at the same time to get several things replaced at once.

Done it and so far it seems to be working fine! About the time I got to the button I thought "wow, I'm never going to be able to but it all back together", but it wasn't that difficult. I did the degreasing with windex and wifi is ok. Thanks for the great guide!

using something like the 18-compartment tray will GREATLY help with this one; there are over a dozen groups of parts. For re-assembly having a digital calipers to measure the 2.4 vs the 2.6mm screws also helps greatly.

My method for hardware management during delicate phone surgery is to take and print out on 8.5"x11' paper, one or more pictures of the open phone in various stages of disassembly, and then tape the screws to the appropriate spots on the pictures. Also write numbers on the pictures next the screws to indicate the order in which you removed them.

I've changed some iPod screens as well and that has been the least pleasant experience so far. Glue and the main connector that has to be unwrapped and connected from the rear where you have no feel or control where it belongs.

Couldn't even get both screws out of the bottom of the case. One was easy and other refuses to budge. Screws so small I can't see if it is turning or screw driver is properly seated. Sad I too have done screen replacements on other phones. Don't know any secrets to get the screw out

I also have a problem with seeing what is happening with some of those tiny little screws and parts. For other projects that I do, I use an Opti-Visor. It slips over your head and provides 10x magnification. ( You can find them on Amazon).

Yeah, it adds cost to the project and you would have to wait for delivery, but it sure makes a world of difference in seeing what you are working with / on.

On an early iPhone 4 I found that the #000 Phillips bit included in the 54 Bit Driver Kit didn't actually fit the screws. However the JIS #000 also in the kit did fit quite well. This is due to the JIS bits "thinner" design to prevent camming out of the slot. Otherwise everything went well. Looking forward to replacing the battery in my other phone that has the pentalobe screws. Glad I got the 54 Bit kit!

At the very last second before insertion, the second new screw for the bottom popped out of my pliers! I dont' want to use the old ones, but I don't want to leave it with one screw. Can I get a replacement screw?

Otherwise it went together fine, and I figured out for myselkf that the contact needs to be bent,,,

What does the park that is gold and next to the 4.8mm screw for the antenna? Looks like I am missing that part and almost positive that is why I can't pick up or connect to any wifi signals. I have the screw and the antenna from another phone that is working and tried it on the broken phone and still doesn't work. Only thing different is that gold metal piece to the left of that 4.8 mm screw. Can I buy that part? how do I attach it?

Remove the single 2.5 mm Phillips screw securing the battery connector to the logic board- for me this Phillips screw won't budge from its place have tried all the phillips combinations 000, 00, 0, 1 and the straight /slotted 1.5 mm but nothing. can some help me please purchased a replacement battery for my iPhone 4 but not able to do it just because of this screw.

I didn't need to remove the battery !! why would you take the battery away, the motor can be removed easily with the battery in place, and the whole process would take less than 2 minutes if you exclude the battery steps

I have trouble with the screw: I bought my used and now opened it for the first time. The screw is totally messed up, I can't unscrew it because the screwdriver doesn't fit in the screw/doesn't unscrew it. What can I do?

I've tried three different #000 drivers but they don't fit this screw. Stuck now. Also blows my confidence about proceeding because even if I do get this off.... I see some even smaller Phillips head screw further along in the process

There is a small black L-shaped bracket of some sort that tits between the battery connector and the motherboard socket, with a loop on one corner that sits betwen the riserand the battery connector. Remove this now, and do not forget to re install it on assembly.

When reattaching this bracket make sure your Battery ribbon is already tucked underneath the battery with only the minimum clearance required. Then make sure the brackets overhang is over the battery ribbon. Dont try to slide it under the Ribbon.

When removing this L shaped piece, it should be shown ON CAMERA where it came from and the exact position it was in while in the phone, I had to take 2 screws (not 1 like said in the video) out to get to this piece and once that second screw came up I didn't get a chance to see where this piece came from because it popped right out. I was extremely nervous but I believe I got it back in properly.

use the iPod opening tool to pry gently under the battery from the outer edge of the phone and work towards the plastic tab. the tab is not actually attached to the battery itself, but a plastic sheet between the battery and inner frame. the adhesive on the battery tends to be under the edge of the battery nearest the center of the phone.

My battery was so firmly glued in, it took a long time to slowly pry it loose. Patience is the key to this process. I could see easily damaging the circuit board by using too much force. The plastic tab did not help at all.

The ribbon cable attaching the new battery to the battery connector clip is longer than the original. I clicked the clip into the socket first and then was very careful to fold the excess while putting the battery back in so the ribbon cable didn't kink. One kink in this could sever the battery leads.

Piece of cake! The hardest part was being sure the outer pentalobe screws were actually turning and I wasn't stripping them. Battery was glued firmly in, so I loosened it from the outside instead of using the plastic pull-tab. I pre-bent the battery connector neck before putting it back in and had no problems with it fitting in. Getting the battery connector aligned with the antenna piece underneath was a bit fiddly. Got the case back on, put in the new screws, and powered the phone on without problem. Had 40% charge, all seems well. Yippee!

Do NOT use a spudger or similar type of prising tool to try lift up the battery. Instead, just warm up the whole area with a hot air gun or hair drier to soften the glue.

The reason why I say don't use an implement to try lift the battery is because far too many times I've seen punctured & bent batteries come in to this workshop that have to be thrown out for safety reasons. It only takes a grain of sand, or a burr on the spudger and you're risking a potential cell rupture and potential fire.

Just use a bit of heat ( not a lot! ) to soften up the glue and it'll come away with the plastic pull tab.

These instructions don't mention putting the 2.5mm screw back in. I found this very challenging because it is so short, so very difficult to line it up to get it back in the hole, and very easy to drop it inside the phone. Take care.

Non problem with reassembly - just took patience - my is that the phone now does not want to charge the battery. It shows taht the battery is dead and charger needs to be connected but does not charge?

What have I not done coreectly - or at least what can I check to determine the problem?

You are right. This is the reason why their is simpler guide: iPhone 4 Battery disconnection to be used when there is no necessity for removing the battery. Disconnection is sufficient for many fixes except replacement of the battery!

Adhesive was holding battery VERY firmly, so during this step I used a hair blow dryer on low setting to carefully heat up the device. Then used the plastic tool to gently but firmly pry up one place on each edge. At first it felt like barely anything was happening, but within a few tries the adhesive gave away easily and the battery came right out.

Before inserting the battery I put the contact clip into position. It has a hooked shape on one side which fits between the socket and the folded battery cable. If you try to position it AFTER the battery is installed the whole process is much more difficult. I used a tweezers to hold it in place while inserting the battery.

When inserting the battery I started by guiding the folded cable into position against the side of the contact clip, then proceeded to lay the battery in position. This made it very easy to have all parts in their original positions -- no need to fiddle with the battery cable or contact clip afterwards.

When pressing the battery connector into the socket, the first time I pressed from bottom to top. That didn't work because there is a little tab at the top of the connector which must fit into a tiny notch or else the connector won't lay flat properly. Pressing the connector from top to bottom worked easily.

Needle-nosed tweezers were very helpful when lining up the screws. After everything was reassembled I tried powering up the device, but the battery had insufficient charge. I plugged it in and immediately the screen displayed a battery with a thin red line (illustrating no charge). After 25 minutes the device sprang to life and indicated a 10% charge. At 70 minutes the battery indicated 30% charge, and at that rate should be fully charged in under 4 hours. It's fixed!!

I had trouble with my SIM card at this point. It wouldn't go all the way in - only about 1mm short but enough to keep the phone from being able to read it. It seems that the red screw in this step is the culprit. I loosened it up a bit and the SIM card tray was able to fit flush.

see that tiny little blue thing just to the left of the antenna connector but before the screw? make sure you DON'T knock that out of place otherwise your iphone becomes a heavy ipod touch (yes. this idiot made that mistake while struggling to get the antenna connector back in - which for the record just clips back in). this would have been a handy tip for me while i was reading the instructions, which apart from that little trinket of information, were very easy to follow.

Be careful, I almost damaged this specific screw by using a Phillips #00 screwdriver. It's screwed in tighter than most others. You will need a Phillips #000 or else your #00 has to be a really sharp one.

The cross on top of the screw on my phone is all messed up - not from me stripping it, it just looks like a manufacturing error. The screwdriver won't even fit into the screw, and I can't get it out (I have no idea how they got it in in the first place). Any suggestions?

1) use a tiny drop of super glue on the top place your screwdriver on the drop/screw, then sprinkle a bit of bicarb-soda on to the wet super glue, it'll harden very rapidly and form a fillet; wait a minute and you should be able to then unscrew the screw.

Be VERY CAREFUL when doing this, because you don't want to have superglue wicking between the screw and the circuit board.

Perhaps practice on some other things first.

I've removed several like this before; frequently I find the culprits for rounded out slots are ham-fisted people trying to do their own repairs in the past.

Get a set of these precision screw extractors. I own a small electronics repair shop and I wouldn't be without them. If you buy them remember that the ends are reversible in case you dull one end. http://www.ifixit.com/Tools/Precision-Sc...

Be careful about the very small spring contact that is under the shield and around the 4.8 mm screw - it can spring out when the shield is removed. It must be reinserted prior to installing the shield, with the thick part up and the spring in contact with the gold pad to the right of the screw hole in the case.

INCREDIBLE! Steve this probably happens to people all the time. The "very small spring contact that is under the shield and around the 4.8 mm screw" I will elaborate on. It's not so much around the 4.8mm screw as it actually part of the assembly where the 4.8 mm screw is tightened. I added an arrow to this picture to visually illustrate:

When re-assembling, start off with replacing the 4.8 mm Philips screw first, then the 2.3 mm. This is to ensure there is no mix-up, and avoid rendering the LCD and digitizer useless. Steve or someone -- can you explain what is meant by this? My LCD and digitizer now does not work, but I don't think I have any screws in the wrong place.

Confirming this. It's not in the description and it came out when I disconnected the screw. At first I was unsure where it came from, but when I reassembled the phone, the yellow screw didn't make contact, so I realized the washer had to go under the contact plate.

So that small washer behind the 1.4 screw became detached during reassembly. What affect does this have? My phOne started to overheat; I then turned off my wifi and things are fine.. How is this related you think?

On my phone the "washer" that the 1.4mm screw goes into I think is actually the mounting post that had come detached. I realize afterwards there was therefore no point removing this screw, but I did remove (and put it back afterwards) by holding onto the loose post/washer with tweezers to prevent it turning.

The "washer" that a few of the commenters have mentioned isn't a washer nor a broken post. It is a circular nut that helps the WiFi antenna get a good connection to the logic board. It is part of a sandwich: 1.4mm screw head WiFi antenna logic board ++ circular nut. I held it in place with tweezers and then screwed the 1.4mm screw in. Don't lose this nut!

When I came to reassemble at this step, I noticed the 1.4mm screw no longer had anything to screw to. The nut or washer or whatever it is that you mention has gone. My screen does not work any more. Is this connected and/or is there anything I can do to peplace what is lost?

This screw is supposed to tie into a very small nut that sits under a small u-shaped tab in the EMI shield that is fixed to the PCB. Maybe that nut has moved or got lost. I recommend you to lift that small tab to find it because if loose it could create a short-circuit.

But that screw/nut is absolutely not essential to the LCD. It should work without it.

The second of the Two 1.6 mm Phillips was stripped...or I stripped it? So I got this far and now i'm retreating and putting the iphone back together. Was going to sell on ebay but now I can not. Oh well...

I used an elastic band pulled taught over the blade of a flat headed screwdriver to hold the nut (beneath the yellow screw) in place. Alternatively I was thinking of carving the eraser on the end of a pencil into a wedge shape to do the same job when tightening the screw on reassembly. Just needs something to grip it in place to stop it spinning.

The clip actually looks like it might be a ground. it's gold and is folded in two. There's a screw cutout and something that looks like it physically is supposed to touch something. Phone works fine without it, though.

So as I'm prying the plate off a tiny little nut falls out. I've repaired 4 iPhone 4s now and this is the first time this has happened. Anyone know where exactly it goes? I'd upload a pic, but this forum doesn't support images I see. I'm pretty sure it goes to the long bolt at top center, but where in the stack it goes I'm not certain.

I have a big Problem with this screw, it seems that it is more stuck and weaker than the other screws. Now the Phillips screw is totally !@#$%^ up after several attempts of trying to get it out, do you have any idea how i can get it out?

Danger! Since the last screw I took out before is the 4.8 mm (step 13) it can happen that one messes up the order and uses this one instead of the 2.4 mm! This will break the new Display again. I'd add a distinct warnig here to use the right (short) one.

It seems that you misunderstood the notes throughout the guide. You should only clean metal to metal contact points, such as the contact area between the EMI fingers and the metal case on the speaker enclosure. Applying Windex in connectors or sockets of any type will almost certainly destroy components in your phone.

If you are replacing any of the cables that connect here, be sure to save the foam from the top of the connector to put on your replacement part. It helps secure the connector once the connector cover is put back during reassembly.

When re-plugging the yellow connector (the leftmost of the 3 connectors that you disconnected from the top) put the cables behind and not before the metal part with a hole where the EMI Shield 2 clips in. Otherwise you will not be able do step 13.

When reassembling, the various connectors have a leading plastic lip that allows you to align and then slowly snap in place. i pushed on the pads on top of the connectors with the flat tool provided in the kit. Also, the first time, i did not press the LCD cable very well, so the phone was working, but no display showing. once i snapped this in place the second time, it worked like a charm.

After reassembly, when I changed to the front camera, the display got stuck in shutter mode. The website bellow suggests I lost a microscopic jumper that enables the front camera. I am guessing this happened when I disconnected the 3 connectors. The dang jumper is so small I never even noticed that I lost it. Oh well at least the rear camera still works... http://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/54838...

I ran into a not workin front camera after a screen replacement on Iphone4. I found out that I had broken the tiny jumper on the main board when I pried off the headphone plug. That jumper is next to the right upper corner of the headphone/volume button plug (yellow marked in step 17 of relacement guide), you can see it in the picture as two silvery dots. If your prying tool sits on that jumper when levelling the plug off, it is history. I took a ampoule of conducting silver liquid, but instead of shaking it I took some of the sediment out with a thin wire and aplied a tiny blob over the two remaining soldering pads left. And alas, it worked ! Front camera is ok again. Thanks to those who found out about that jumper.

On reassembly, be really careful when reattaching the digitizer cable - the cable breaks very easily, rendering your nice new display useless. In my case, I must not have threaded the cable through properly, so it was just a bit too short to reach the connector. I gave it a gentle tug... and snap!

There is a small rectangular rubber bumper on the top of the logic board. You can see it a little at the top of the picture. I knocked mine off and had no idea where it came from! Took my wife forever searching the pictures to locate where it was from.

I have found that the easiest way to remove these standoffs is to loosen them with a 2.0 or 2.3 mm standard (flat) blade driver bit. Then, once it is loose, you can either loosen it the rest of the way, or for better control, insert your pentalobe driver into the center of it and loosen it the rest of the way. If your pentalobe driver won't turn it, then it is not loose enough, or the end of one of the small screws has broken off in it (actually fairly common).

Note where the little rubber thing is. It's there to protect the digitizer and LCD ribbons curving over the top of the mobo. If you do these a lot, you're going to have a WTF moment when you go to put it back together and you have this short rubber strip....

be careful when putting the logic board back in: i trapped the lower antenna cable under it (see step 11). Also, it 'hooks in' at the top and rotates down; there is a notch cut into the outer case to capture the top of the motherboard.

Do not forget the rubber piece. When replacing my home button, I noticed this rubber piece fall out of the phone, and couldn't figure out where it went. I left it out, and my touchscreen had all sorts of problem. I thought I had damaged the digitizer ribbon. I even bought a new screen and had similar problems after putting that in. I finally put a makeshift piece of rubber that I cut up into the spot where this rubber piece had gone, and currently haven't had problems for over a week. This rubber piece must suppress interference problems of some kind.

Great point! I had the logic board put back in and then found this little thing hanging out. I found a "tip" on a different site that showed it going between the rear-facing camera and the logic board! Thanks!

It goes on the edge of the logic board where the Digitizer and LCD Panel ribbon cables bend over the Logic Board before they plug into it. The rubber piece protects the ribbon cables from chafing like a bumper and from interferance.

Note that when re-installing the logic board, do not forget about the antenna connector near the bottom of the phone. Make sure that it does not get trapped under the logic board when you are placing the logic board in the case.

Ear piece metal connectors: You can see them on step 22. If those are not bent up enough (laying flat) you won't have contact with the logic board... and no more audio from the ear piece. This is what happened to me. I had to unmount it again to bend them and hop the ear piece worked again!

This was a very tricky part. Just make sure that you don't put pressure on the login board to get it into place, take your time and ease it in. There will be a bit of spring in it when you push down which is a combination of the folded LCD and Digitizer Ribbon Cables and the two copper contacts underneath.

This was absolutely the hardest part - had to do it over many times. The digitizer ribbon cable kept insisting on folding up under the logic board. Tip: do not let the cable fold up, even it that's how it naturally wants to go, it will be too short.

step 20 speaker screw was stripped from the factory! aaaagh! took some tweaking but got it out using a little drill bit and forcing a standard screwdriver in the divot and cranking it out. the screw is absolutely necessary to reinstall too, so that was tough.

that screw is unscrewable!! I think the factory ruined the cross while assembly and no screwdriver can grab it anymore!!! arrggg... coming to this point it's already so hard.. I don't want to re assemble everything without fixing this home button!!!

'and then there were THREE' yup i broke off one as well. hint on re-assembly; put in the speaker box, and working from left to right, apply a fair amt of downward pressure and use a tiny flat-blade screwdriver to push the tip of the emi fingers toward the speaker box, go left to right so you can put in the screw on the right side when done.

I broke off the right-most one (closest to the microphone) and after reassembly my signal strength was poor and dropped easily. I replaced the antenna/speaker unit with one from a 4s (the cable was a touch longer; but, solved with some bending) and made sure to really clean the contacts (and not break any)... long story short, intact fingers and cleaning has resulted in better signal strength than prior to the repair! go figure!

There is a square, metal bar that fits into a slot on the right side of the vibrator. The 1.4mm screw threads into this bar. It fell out when I first flipped it over the phone to remove the screen. Look out for that.

When I removed the screw from here I also found a small rubber piece. It is about 8mm long and 2mm wide, and it has a channel down the centre of it. I couldn't figure out where it came from but the phone seems to be perfectly fine without it. I thought it could possibly be some sort of anti-vibration damper for the vibrator although I am not sure. I couldn't see it in any of the pictures.

Referring to the exact screw that is circled in red, I cannot seem to get this particular screw to thread properly during the reassemble process. I have found that I had to add another 15-20 min to my assembly/dis-assembly due to the fact I have to remove the earphone jack and the antenna that is in this corner, too. Any suggestions on how to get this screw to thread w/o doing the extra steps? Need of help, Please

If your objective is to remove the front panel only, you do not need to remove any of the "large-headed" 1.5 mm Phillips screws, but only loosen them slightly. Putting these screws back can be quite a hassle, and there's really no need for it. When replacing the front panel, take care of the position of the washers (they should be in between the case and screw head.

i tried using the 'only loosen' method on half, and found out because of the washers, they interfered during reassembly. it was very easy to replace them by setting the phone down on its side (propped up so as not to tip) and use a tweezer to put in the washer then screws, it was simple.

I also used very fine tweezers (from a swiss army knife) to hold the washer and screw from the side as I positioned the screw over the hole, and then placed carefully the screwdriver tip onto the screw before releasing. worked fine. I found this the hardest part of the whole reassemble process.

My screw here turned out to be rusted, so was REALLY tough to remove, I pretty much stripped it whilst getting it out with a 1.0 flathead. Not sure if this area is prone to getting wet, but be warned. I noticed an orange tinge to the screw before I started but thought it was a reflection from the ribbon.

This screw was also extremely rusty on my unit - so much so that it never came loose. I tried every angle and position but it just kept stripping out the Phillips head. Needless to say, I didn't actually get the home button replaced, because I could never get the screen off. But by doing all the steps up until this, I was able to get everything loose enough to check the home button connections, clean stuff up, wiggle things around a little, and get said button working properly again.

But yeah, apparently this area IS prone to water/rust. I know my iPhone's gotten wet-ish before, so I guess it made it in here enough to rust out the screw. As Dave said, ye be warned.

Removing the washer and screw is easy, but getting them back on is extremely hard unless you have midget fingers. The magnetic driver really doesn't help, just keeps dislodging the washer in its place when attempting to to reinsert screw. Using a non magnetic Phillips 0.

No matter how hard I try, I cannot get these screws out! I had the same problem on the other side (step 24) as well. My screen has previously been replaced by a 'trained professional' but they have stripped all of the large flat-headed screws, making it impossible for me to get them out!

In need of serious help/advice/techniques for getting these God-forsaken screws out!!!!

i couldn't get all the large headed screws out, two where stuck. So i gently removed all the other screws in the following steps, and pulled the front cover gently out by moving gently and breaking some parts of the front screen (which i throw away anyway) After that the remaining screws became looser, and were able to screw up and down.

Since my screen was shattered, let's face it which is the main reason to replace the screen, it completely came apart around the button. Use of a hair dryer would have been a useful tip, however I don't blow dry my hair and so don't have one. A warm towel just doesn't cut it.

I just need it to work for a few more months until the iPhone 6 comes out.

The square piece your are referring to is the rubber piece that fits on the logic board. It seats on the logic board between the orange circled screw and the green circled screw in step 13. To date, I had one fall off during my third IPhone 4 screen repair. Needles to say, I had to part the entire phone out due to one stripped screw in the corner that was holding on the bracket to the screen. Luckily the screen and LCD was already missing and all that was left was the backlight.

Be very, very careful when removing a broken screen. My experience was that while most of the broken screen came off, there were many smaller pieces which were stuck to the area around the home button as well as the camera lens. I took my time and used narrow-headed tweezers to remove countless shards of glass. Likewise, I found what I think was an adhesive membrane which I think was supposed to come off with the front screen but remained stuck to the frame. After some head-scratching on my part, I removed the adhesive membrane (tape) and hoped I wasn't removing something important. Thankfully, once reassembled, the phone worked fine!

one of the cables has a fold or something making it 'double' so there are really THREE cables that must be fed through the hole (one just doesn't go anywhere). I used a tiny tweezer to aid with re-routing the cables and it was FAR easier.

If you do have to replace the Camera Ring, I find it much easier to put some double sided 3m on the Display where the ring would go, then put the ring ON the camera, not the display. Also if you need to replace the camera ring, your prob gonna have to replace the ear screen, its easier in the long run just to replace it. Please do not glue either piece on.

This is the only part that was a little tricky for me. When I was reinstalling the LCD panel it took me a few tries to get the connectors and cables through the holes correctly, and not pinched by the frame. Take it slow and be gentle.

This part was very tricky because you need to make sure you have enough slack from the LCD and Digitizer cables. Take your time to make sure that the cables are fully through, even the slightest pinch will be enough for this to not reach and you have to redo it again (a massive pain if you've already started the reassembly. - A good way to test this is to before you reassemble try placing the logic board on top where the LCD and Digitizer cables will fit into, if they reach fine then you are good, if not then adjust the cables again until you know they are through completely, this saves you having to disassemble again if its not correct. - Good Luck and Take your time!

It's easy to get the digitizer cable caught and sandwiched when reassembling, make sure you carefully feed it through. I got everything almost assembled and then the digitizer ribbon cable wouldn't reach the connector! I was stuck for 45 mins till I figured it out.

CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK THE RIBBON CABLES BEFORE YOU PUSH IT DOWN! It really is very easy to mess the whole thing up here...I did! Even when you think you've got both cable through, check from the side, there's a little square bit that catches. If you damage the ribbon at all it's time to buy a new screen and learn from your mistakes.

Take a look at step 31. it shows him prising off the socket with the tool. why? Your not meant to do that, and I broke my iPhone following this. all you have to do is disconnect the ribbon. you don't lift anything up!

The picture is right. There is a very very tiny tab that needs to be lifted, so the socket releases the flex cable. It's barely noticeable but it's there. After replacing the home button you connect the new flex cable and then you lower the socket tab again to secure it. I'm sorry you broke yours :-/

Nearly broke the connector too, although this was down to me not reading the step thoroughly. Was very tricky working that ribbon cable back in there, but all back together now and touch wood seems to be working fine! Thanks : )

I have the same problem. Getting the cable out was no problem, but getting it in again does not work. I think my socket is okay but I cannot connect the button again... The cable still does not get in... :-/

Putting the new home cable in the socket was impossible. After pushing and wriggling for half an hour on the old cable to see how to get it back in, I gave up, put the new one in as far as possible, put the clip down and put the phone back together in the hope that it was I'm far enough. Turns out, it was!

Reversing instructions is not that simple. Some photos or more notes on how things go back would be great.

Well, I too separated the "socket itself" because I thought it was a pushdown connector instead of sizeways ZIF. First attempt to put it back in place with superglue ended in a non-working home button (although the phone was still usable via Settings/General/Accessability/AssistiveTouch).

In my second attempt I removed the suplerglue and, with a fine soldering iron, very carefully, reconnected the socket in place by soldering the two back leads and (perhaps) one or two of the front leads. And now it works! Just afraid that if I drop the phone the hole thing will come apart, but for the moment I remain a happy camper.

Very many thanks for the guide, but please add a statement in Step 31 about the ribbon cable having to slide out of the socket horizontally, since the pictures are misleading.

Putting the cable back into the connector is not easy. I broke the cable off the *old* button and played around to see how it all worked before attempting to fit the new one. I would recommend doing this as a few dummy runs of plugging them together makes it clear. Important to remember, the tiny, almost invisible, clip on the socket is up open, down locked.

The guide did not specify which part of the home button ribbon cable to squeeze when installing it, so the moment I tried to put in the new home button, I used my tweezers to squeeze the flat part of the home button ribbon—which was a terrible mistake, because on the other side of the ribbon were the two small transistors (or whatever) that I demolished instantly. As a result, I had to clean and reinstall my old button. :(

The directions are not very clear on the "direction" the cable connects. Does it lift off? Does it pull off? Does it pull out? The answer is it pulls out to the right as shown in the picture. I discovered this only after I had damaged the two little copper wires (thick as a human hair) and now have to toss the fone as they are part of the underlying electronics. This is an extremely frangible connection. Be VERY careful pulling this guy out.

Took 2 hours to tear apart and back together. Had to redo some steps over. 1) Crushed ribbon cable when putting screen back on. Found out when ribbon cable wasn't long enough to reach connection. 2) Got antenna connector stuck under logic board, had to undo logic board to pluck it out.

Phone works, but like most of my tear down projects, I have an extra part left over after reassembly. It's a small bit of rubber insulation that looks like it should clip to some metal edge. I couldn't figure out where it belongs, hope it's not critical. :)

I'm also confused about the plastic film. I removed the plastic film from the back of my new home button and the silver disk came off with it - the disk is not glued on to the home button. When I put the new button in place I tried as best I could to keep the disk in the same position it was in before I took the plastic off.

The new home button works OK (I only have to press 2x for it to respond) but it doesn't move at all when I press it.

Should I have left the plastic on? Is the little silver disk necessary? should i have glued the silver disk back on to the home button?

I want to go back and re-do it, but not until I have a better understanding of what to do.

Is there any answer to the plastic film question?? Everything was so thorough till the end. Now I'm at step 33 with my phone 100% disassembled and not sure if the film that holds the silver disc should stay or go!!

Ok, helpful follow up here, the film I can only assume is something that may be on the front of the button. The film over the silver disc in the back stays. I just reassembled mine with that film on and home button is perfect. After examining the old home button, I realized that had a film too(just harder to see)

I replaced home button along with display assembly and everything went right. I thought home button worked few times initially, but now it is not working. Could be defective piece or connections are loose? I will wait for few days before doing it all over again!

Completed however the home button brought from ifixit need to have the ribbon removed and placed back in the correct place. The ribbon was directly over a home button lub. So turned it about 15 degrees to get it to fit.

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